Menu-card holdes



Nov. 20,. 1928.

1,692,038 R. o. HARDING MENU CARD HOLDER Filed Nov. 22, 1926 I" 1 r -J62- I A I I /P/3 1F g I l l 10 i i I i I 7 1 t 1r 5' P r 1 \f 0 PatentedNov. 20, 1928.

nsiTeo STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAY O. HARDING, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS, ASfiIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOSEPHCORLEY, 0'5 ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

MENU-CARD HOLDER.

Application filed November 22, 1926 This invention relates to loose leafholders generally but more particularly to holders for menu cards andthe like.

The principal object of the inventionis to provide a much simpler andcheaper construction in a menu card holder which, furthermore, has theadvantage that the card is more securely held and does not have to bebuckled or wrinkled and possibly soiled and torn when being inserted inthe holder.

According to the present invention, a plurality of small elongatedeyelets are provided on a single strip fastened in the back of theholder, the eyelets being arranged for engagement through aperturesprovided therefor in the crease of the folded card to be inserted in theholder, and a wire pin of about the length of the back is provided to beentered through the eyelets over the leaf to retain the same in place.An additional feature of advantage in this construction, aside from itsdirect appeal in View of its sim "city, is the fact that the pin is heldin place i the eyelets solely by reason of the close friction fittherein so that no additional means which would make the constructioncomplicated and expensive to manufacture is required. A still furtherfeature of distinct advantage from the practical standpoint lies in theconstruction of the back of flexible material, such as leather, in whichany rough or sharp edges of the metallic partsused in the buliding up ofthe back of the holder are properly covered and concealed so that theholder presents a more pleasing appearance, is nicer to handle and thereare no sharp or rough parts to cut or abrade the hands or possibly marthe surface of the table or counter where the holder is used.

These and other features of the invention will be brought out in thecourse of the following detailed description having reference to theaccompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a face view of a menu cardholder opened out, the same being shown without a card inserted thereinso as better to show the construction;

Fig. 2 is a somewhat enlarged longitudinal section through the back ofthe holder with a menu card inserted therein;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View of the middle of a menu card showing theapertures at the crease; and

Fig. 4t 1s a transverse section through the SerialNo. 149,860.

back of the holder to show the use of several plies of flexible materialin the construction of the back and to further illustrate the way inwhich the menu card is held in place. The same reference numerals areapplied to corresponding parts in the four views. 7

The holder comprises a back 5 of flexible material, preferably leather,having a pair of cover members 6 attached thereto, the latter being madein any way desired and each may be suitably provided with advertisingmatter beneath coverin of transparent celluloid and bound together atthe edges by a strip 7 to give the desired body and also make forpermanence. The back has a metal strip 8 secured thereto as by means ofrivets 9. The strip is preferably of thin sheet metal folded to doublethickness, as shown in Fig. 4, for rigidity and has a plurality of smallelongated eyelets 10 provided by rolled struck up portions at intervalsthe length of the strip. The eyelets are arranged to be received inelongated apertures 11 provided at the crease in a menu card 12. A pin13, suitably of wire of rather small gauge, is arranged to be threadedthrough the eyelets 10 over the card 12 to retain the same in place inthe manner indicated in Fig. 2. A flat, round head 1& is provided on theend of the pin 13 pushing the pin through the eyelets 0r milling thesame therefrom. The head 14, if desired, may be left at about theposition shown in Fig. 1 so as not toobstruct the closing of the folder,although the position thereof is relatively unimportant. The elongationof the eyelets, combined with the close fit with which the pin isreceived therein provides ample friction to retain the pin againstdropping out or working loose. The eyelet-s are approximately inalignment although the absolute alignment thereof is not required sincethe pin 13, being of small gauge wire, can be thrust to one side or theother due to its flexibility and conformability and can thus be threadedthrough the series of eyelets without difliculty. In fact, anyslightlack of alignment between the eyelets will only serve to increasethe friction with which the pin 13 will be held in place. The novelmanner of holding a menu card as herein described avoids the necessityfor buckling or wrinkling the card when inserting the same in theholder. There is absolutely no danger of soiling or possibly tearing thecard as, there was in the to facilitate case of holders of other designswith which l am familiar, as the euro is inserted opened out flat.

The back 5, being of leather, affords sufficient flexibility in theconnection between the covers 6 so that the complicated and expensivehinge connections otherwise employed are rendered unnecessary.Furthermore, the leather back makes the holder much nicer to handle asthere is no possibility of cutting or abrading the hands as there was inthe case of the holders having a back of metallic construction withhinges for mounting the covers; as in these cases there wa always apt tobe some part presenting sharp or rough edges. The leather backed holderis also preferable from this practical consideration that it eliminatesany danger of marring the surface of the table or counter on which theholder may be placed. The back 5 is preferably made of one-piece ofleather with the two ends skewed oil' and lapped together at 15 insidethe holder. The edges are sewed to the covers, as indicated at 16, andthe two plies are also sewed together across the ends, as indicated at17. The strip 8 is riveted to the ply ust beneath it, as indicated inFig. 2, and has its opposite ends entered through slits 18 in this plyso as to cover up the rough edges which would otherwise be presented atthe ends of the strip. The ends of the rivets 9 are thus concealed bythe outer ply of leather on the back of the holder, while the ends ofthe strips are covered by the inner ply within the holder. There is thusno danger at all of any part of the metallic strip 8 'i ing trouble andthe same is'true of the rivin the handling of the holder and when samelaid on the table or counter, nothbut protected surfaces can come inconor counter. The strip 8, besides providing a mounting for the eyelets10, also serves as a stiffener for the material of the back 5 whichmight otherwise tend to be so limp as to prevent the covers from closingproperly one onto the other with their edges together.

The foregoing description is believed to make clear the novel manner ofoperation of the holder of the present invention as well as to bring outthe advantages from the standpointof service and cost which the samepresents over previous types of loose leaf holders of this character.

l claim:

1. A loose leaf holder of the character de scribed comprising a back offlexible material having a pair of cover members attached to thelongitudinal edges thereof, a narrow flat strip of rigid materialextending lengthwise of the back midway between the covers and attachedthereto, said strip serving to stiffen the otherwise limp material ofthe back as well as lend definite form thereto so that the covers willfold properly onto one another, eyelets provided on said strip andarranged for engagement through apertures in a leaf to be inserted inthe holder, and a pin approximately the length of the back passedthrough the eyelets over latter in place.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the eyelets areelongated to tubular shape and the retaining pin is of a small gaugewire and hence much more flexible and conformable than the back strip toenable threading the same through theplurality of elongated eyeletswithout regard to the matter of whether the eyelets are absolutely inalignment, any slight lack of alignment serving only to increase thefrictional hold of the eyelets on the pin.

3. A loose leaf holder of the character described, comprising a back offlexible mate rial having a pair of cover members attached thereto, asheetmetal strip extending lengthwise of the middle of the back andattached thereto, said strip serving to reinforce and give body to theotherwise limp material of the back so that the covers will foldproperly one onto the other, eyelets provided by struck up portions ofsaid strip and arranged for engagement through apertures in the creaseof a folded leaf to be lDSQlLCCl in the holcer, and a pin ofapproximately the'length of the back passed through said eyelets oversaid leaf to retain the latter in place, said pin bethe leaf to retainthel ing retained in said eyelets solely by its friction lit therein.

4. A loose leaf holder of the character de scribed comprising a backformed from a single strip of flexible material folded to give a doublethickness, namely an inside ply and an outside ply, a pair of covermembers at tached to the back by marginal edges entering between theplies of the back, a narrow flat strip of rigid mate "ial extendinglengthwise of the middle of the back between the covers having the endsthereof passed through slits in the inner ply so that the raw ends areconcealed between the two plies of the material of the back, said stripbeing attached to the back and serving to reinforce and give body anddefinite form to its otherwise limp material so that the covers willfold properly onto each other, eyelets provided on saidstrip andarranged for engagement through apertures in a leaf to be inserted inthe holder, and a pin passing through the eyelets over said leaf toretain the latter in place.

In witness of the foregoing I affix my signature.

RAY O. HARDING.

